


ride or die

by empressfall



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, CEOs and CFOs and all that, F/M, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Marriage of Convenience, Revenge fic, Unplanned Pregnancy, corrupt businesses, inspired by "Revenge", many rich corrupt businessmen involved, natasha and clint are stepsiblings, natasha is cold and cunning, steve uses natasha, steve wants justice for his family and friends, takes place in the hamptons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-05 01:05:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20480432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/empressfall/pseuds/empressfall
Summary: “you played me, natasha”“because you played me first”for fourteen years, steve rogers has been planning his revenge against the romanoff-barton family. he’s willing to do whatever’s necessary to destroy their family and their corrupt business the way they destroyed his, even if it means manipulating and using natasha romanoff.





	ride or die

**Author's Note:**

> lmao this will PROBABLY be the last new story i publish before i begin updating the stories i already have up.  
thank you for clicking on this story! i hope you guys enjoy this first chapter.  
it's loosely inspired by the tv show "revenge" starring my girl, emily vancamp!!!

The plan is simple. That’s what Steve Rogers likes to think. He silently assures himself of that as he straightens his necktie and keeps a close look at his surroundings. It’s a bit nerve-wracking to be lounging around the massive Romanoff-Barton estate in Southampton, but he’s ready, nonetheless.

Steve would honestly consider himself to a grounded person who’s compassionate, understanding and humble. He thinks of himself to be a good guy who just wants to live his life to the fullest. 

And he does. _Truthfully_, he does.

Except when it comes to this.

The feelings of anger, disgust, and heartbreak have scorched through his chest for fourteen years. He’s never let it fully consume him, but it’s been itching at him for over a decade and now it’s at full force.

He’s had plenty of time to prepare himself for his return to the Hamptons to execute the plan he’s had in fruition, but the reality of coming back to the sandy beaches he remembers from his childhood makes him feel rage like never before. 

“Hey there.”

Steve turns and sees his adoptive younger sister, Wanda Maximoff, looking at him with an amused expression on her face. She’s holding a champagne flute in her hand and looks absolutely radiant in her royal blue cocktail dress. If Steve didn’t know her, he would’ve thought she was an associate of the Romanoff-Barton family.

“You’re fitting in quite well,” Steve says, stepping towards her. “You look like you belong here.”

“It’s not that hard,” Wanda says, before taking a sip. “Looking expensive and drinking expensive can easily be mimicked.”

Steve hears Sam Wilson snort in amusement through his hidden earpiece. “Well, thank God for that.”

“_Well, well, well_,” they hear a familiar voice say behind them. “Don’t you two look fancy?”

Wanda smirks at the sight of Loki Laufeyson. “Hello, Loki.”

“Wanda. Steve.” Loki nods at them. “Good to see you.”

“Always a pleasure,” Steve says with a sly grin on his face. “How’s everything going at Asgard Incorporated?”

“_Amazing_,” Loki replies, “Thor is really doing great as CEO. Our stock is going through the roof.”

Wanda smiles. “Glad to hear it.”

Loki steps towards them. “So what do you think?” He gestures behind him and Steve’s line of sight travels from the expensive paintings on the wall to the squeaky clean marble flooring to the intricate vases displayed. “It’s a lavish home filled with a bunch of rich people.”

CEOs, investment bankers, important political figures of New York, and socialites all roam around the grounds of the estate. 

Steve snorts. “It’s very extravagant. I will admit that. They have lovely views of the beach. I just can’t help but wonder how much of this was paid for by dirty money.”

Loki’s smile grows wider. “Don’t we all?”

“Is this the norm?” Wanda asks. “This gala has barely started yet…”

“This _is_ the Hamptons and this _is_ the Romanoff-Barton mansion,” Loki says with a shrug. “We shouldn’t expect anything less.” He narrows his eyes as he scans the room. “I don’t see Ivan or Edith, but, _ah_, there’s Clint Barton.”

Steve looks over his shoulder and sees a brown-haired man dressed in a simple black tux entering the room with a glass of wine in his hand. His gaze hardens. “The Triskelion’s crown prince.”

Loki chuckles and shakes his head. “You probably won’t believe me, but Barton’s actually a pretty good guy. He’s grounded and a very likable guy.”

Wanda narrows her eyes in suspicion. “I find that hard to believe. He’s grown up living a life so lavishly.”

Loki shrugs. “He’s a good one, I’m telling ya. A little annoying, but definitely not the bad guy.”

Steve raises a brow. “I’ve read his file. He hardly seems like a good guy, considering everything he’s gotten involved with.”

Steve has a file on almost every single person in this room and he’s been doing research and studying them for a decade. He’s spent the most time studying the Romanoff-Barton family and he knows he’s looked over Clint’s file at least a couple dozen times.

“You have to remember that he’s family,” Loki remarks, “It’s hard to disassociate from that.”

“It shouldn’t be.” Wanda looks disgusted.

They watch as Clint begins to converse with Senator Carol Danvers. 

“But it _is_,” Loki says. “Being apart of a family business is not as simple as one would think.”

Steve huffs in response.

Loki sighs and faces the two of them. “Listen, I don’t feel like dancing around the truth. I’m not going to pretend that I don’t know what the two of you are up to.”

Steve tenses and he hears Sam curse on the earpiece. “_Loki_—”

“I’m not going to stop you. I’m not going to expose you,” Loki interrupts, “if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m not a big fan of either family or company, but I _am_ going to warn you. You’re all going down a dangerous path. You two, Sam, Bucky, Sharon… you’re going to have to be careful.”

“How did you know?” Wanda asks in disbelief.

“Coulson told me,” Loki responds.

Wanda groans and Steve curses inwardly. _Damn Coulson_. His legal guardian when he was a teenager _really_ had to do him like that.

“Don’t be mad at him about it,” Loki says, holding a hand up in defense. “He’s just trying to make sure that you guys will be okay through this.”

“We can take care of ourselves,” Steve insists. “We’ve been preparing for this for fourteen years, Loki.”

It's the first time that he's been in the Hamptons in a while, but being back at the place where his life went to hell stirs unwanted feelings in him. He's impatient and he doesn't want to explain himself. He believes he has every right to act the way he is. 

Loki glances around them to make sure no one’s paying any attention to them. “I know. I know you’re more than capable of that, but going after Romanoff Global and Barton Enterprises isn’t going to be a piece of cake. There’s a reason why both companies are considered to be untouchable.”

“We have a plan,” Wanda says, “and it’s going to work.”

Loki shakes his head. “It won’t.”

Steve frowns. “What makes you so sure?”

“Your plan is to infiltrate Romanoff Global and Barton Enterprises by getting close to the Romanoff-Barton family. Clint is the target and Wanda’s supposed to seduce him and play him into falling for her,” Loki says, “On paper, it sounds like a good idea, but realistically, it won’t work.”

He turns and tilts his head in Clint’s direction. “He’s actually engaged to Bobbi Morse.”

Clint is currently holding hands with a blonde woman who looks like a very important person. There’s a ring on her left hand with a huge diamond on it. 

Steve’s jaw clenches. “Our intel told us that they broke up.”

Wanda looks frustrated. 

“They never did,” Loki responds, “They were both busy with work, but they never split. I suppose you could play the homewrecker card, Wanda, but I highly doubt that’s going to do you any favors.”

“_Dammit_,” Wanda mutters under her breath.

Sam curses, as usual, over the earpiece. 

“You’re going to have to figure out a new plan,” Loki advises them. “I suggest that you do that sooner than later considering the fact that you’re already here. You shouldn’t let this night go to waste.”

Steve raises a brow. “Do you have anything to propose?”

Loki shrugs. “As I’ve said, both companies are pretty much untouchable. They were powerful on their own, but now that Ivan Romanoff and Edith Barton are married, they’re a force to be reckoned with. If you want to infiltrate them, you’re gonna have to find a loose way in. Going straight for someone as connected as Clint won’t play out well. They’ll get suspicious.”

“It’s not like there are many other options.” Wanda furrows her brows.

“You’ll figure one out,” Loki assures them. “You just have to do it quickly.” He sighs. “I know that this whole… _mission_ means a lot to the both of you. What happened to your mother, Steve, and… and Pietro, Wanda, and the rest of you... I understand. It makes sense that you want revenge, given that their deaths and the destruction of SHIELD Consolidated happened at the fault of the companies, but you just have to be careful. These are tough waters that you’re all trying to navigate.”

Before Steve can respond, the room goes silent and he turns to see Ivan Romanoff and Edith Barton making their way down the marble staircase with the fakest smiles that he’s ever seen. 

“The devils themselves,” Wanda murmurs under her breath.

Steve’s chest tightens at the sight of the couple who caused his life to go to hell. 

Ivan and Edith both look extremely professional and fancy in their lavish outfits, but Steve’s deterred from the ruthless looks in their eyes. The smiles on their faces barely cloud them.

They greet the people around them and then begin speaking to Nick Fury. 

“Loki Laufeyson?”

They turn to see Tony Stark standing there with a look of disbelief on his face. 

“Tony Stark,” Loki says with a smile as he reaches out to shake his hand. “How the hell are you?”

“Wonderful,” Tony responds. “And you?”

“Great, as always,” Loki responds. He shifts and gestures towards Steve and Wanda. “This is Steve Rogers and Wanda Maximoff. They’re investors for Carter Barnes Holdings. Steve and Wanda, this is Tony Stark, CEO of Stark Industries.”

Steve resists the urge to roll his eyes at the fact that Loki knows their cover so well.

“A pleasure,” Tony says, warmly, “Carter Barnes Holdings, _huh?_ Where are Bucky and Sharon?”

“Both had prior obligations,” Wanda responds, smoothly.

At least that part of their cover is the truth. Sometimes it still surprises Steve that Bucky is actually the CEO of a major company, with Sharon as his CFO. It's definitely a change from the life that many people thought they would live after what happened to their families. 

Sam snickers over the earpiece.

“A _pity_,” Tony says, “I haven’t seen Bucky in a few months. Are they both doing alright?”

Steve nods. “The company’s thriving.”

“Glad to hear it,” Tony responds. “They have quite the legacy on their shoulders, but I’m confident that they can handle.”

“As are we,” Wanda says with a grin. She’s a phenomenal actress. Steve will have to give her credit for that.

Tony turns to Loki. “So, _anyway_, did you hear the big news?”

Loki raises a brow. “What are you talking about?”

Steve and Wanda exchange glances.

Tony smirks as he lowers his voice. “I shouldn’t be spreading this around, so neither should any of you, but there’s word going around that Ivan’s going to buy Edith’s company out. Barton Enterprises is gonna be a subsidiary of Romanoff Global.”

Steve perks up at the news. Wanda’s mouth is slightly agape. 

Loki looks surprised. “Really? I never would have thought.”

Tony chuckles. “My thoughts exactly.” He shrugs. “It’s interesting.” He looks over his shoulder and says, “Well, I gotta get back to the fiancee. I’ll catch you guys around.”

“Tell Pepper I say hello,” Loki says.

Tony nods and walks away.

“_Hm_,” Loki says, crossing his arms. “I’m sure it was bound to happen at some point, but I didn’t think it’d be so soon.”

“There has to be a reason behind it,” Wanda says, “Why now? They could’ve done this years and years ago. There’s nothing going on now that could suddenly trigger it.”

“We’ll see,” Steve says, before pursing his lips tightly.

Loki shrugs. “There’s a lot of possible explanations. I mean—” He stops and an inaudible gasp escapes his lips.

Steve raises a brow.

“_Oh my God_,” Loki says as his eyes slightly widen. He looks behind Steve and Wanda. 

Wanda frowns. “What is it?” She peers over her shoulder. 

Steve turns around to glance in the direction that Loki’s facing and sees a woman with curly red hair talking to Tony and his fiancee, Pepper Potts. 

Loki inhales. “It’s Natasha Romanoff. She’s _back_.”

* * *

Steve’s read over the Romanoff-Barton family files plenty of times, so he remembers that Natasha Romanoff is the black sheep of the family. She hasn’t been in New York in quite a long time and judging from what she’s supposedly been up to in the past few years, it didn’t seem like she had any intention to join the business world like her stepbrother, Clint. 

“I haven’t seen her in ages,” Loki says in disbelief. “I didn’t know she was back in town. She hasn’t been to New York in forever, from what I’ve heard.”

Steve remembers the details from her file, not that there are many to begin with. After graduating at the top of her class at the Dalton School, she matriculated into Princeton University to study economics but then transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study computer science instead. 

She graduated with high marks, but never joined either one of her family companies. She began to travel instead and hasn’t been to New York since the summer after her graduation, which was four years ago.

Other than that, there really isn’t much. There isn’t any dirt. There are just small details about her liking for ballet and martial arts. The only thing that truly stood out to Steve was the amount of money she’s inherited from her trust fund. It’s definitely more money than Steve will _ever_ see in his life. 

“Where did she even come from?” Wanda asks with a confused expression. 

“She just moved back from Moscow,” Thor Odinson pipes up, joining the group. 

Steve smiles at him. “Good to see you, Thor.”

Wanda reaches out to hug him. “Hi!”

“Good to see you both,” Thor greets them. He nudges Loki. “_Stepbrother_.”

“_Stepbrother_.” Loki smirks. “Can you enlighten us on why Natasha Romanoff is suddenly back in the Hamptons?” 

Steve’s thankful that Loki asked because he’s sure that if he were the one to ask, it wouldn’t sound like a casual question. 

Thor says, “She said that she missed being near her family.” He sounds a bit skeptical.

Wanda raises a brow. “You don’t sound like you truly believe that.”

Thor shrugs. “She’s always been a bit of a _mystery_. I can’t say that I understand her, even though I’ve known her since we were children.”

Steve takes a quick peek at Natasha and notes that she’s a very stunning person. The picture of her on the file that they have of her doesn’t do her beauty justice. This is the first time he’s ever seen her in person.

“Is she gonna take a part in their family business?” Steve asks. “I’ve heard that Romanoff Global is set to buy out Barton Enterprises.”

Thor looks surprised. “You’ve heard about that?”

“Tony gossips,” Wanda says, calmly.

Thor snorts. “I should’ve expected that.” He pauses. “But to answer your question, I have no idea. I’m not very close with her and it’s not like anyone within their ranks would elaborate. Knowing her though, it probably isn’t very likely that she would join the company by choice. _Rather_, it would be by force.”

“She never seemed to be interested in the business,” Loki says, nodding in agreement.

“It is interesting that she’s back, though,” Thor says. “I would’ve thought it’d be at least a couple more years before that happened.” His phone vibrates in his pocket and he looks at the notification. “It was nice to see you guys, but Jane is here.” Jane Foster is his girlfriend and they’ve been going strong for a couple of years now. 

Wanda smiles, warmly. “Give Jane our love.”

Thor nods. “Of course.” 

Steve cocks his head as he thinks about Natasha’s return. “Do we know if she’s seeing anyone?”

Loki raises an eyebrow. “Who? _Natasha?_”

Steve nods. The redhead disappears from his line of sight when she exits the room with Pepper. 

“_Well_, considering the fact that she’s not with anyone right now, it’s possible,” Loki replies, “Besides, I’m sure we would have heard some fuss from Ivan if she was.”

“_Interesting_.”

Wanda’s eyes widen as she looks up at Steve. “What are you thinking?”

“You already know,” Steve responds. He yanks the earpiece out and pulls his phone out of his pocket, dialing Sharon Carter’s number. “We need to build up our file on Natasha Romanoff.”

Loki scratches the back of his neck, nervously, while Wanda looks excited. 

“_Hell no_,” Sharon snaps, “Coulson never said we could go after her.”

“He never said that we couldn’t,” Steve reminds her.

Sharon groans on the other line. “What could she _possibly_ know? She’s been away for four years and judging from what we do know about her, she doesn’t give a damn about the companies.”

“The plan with Clint won’t work,” Steve tries to reason with her. “But we could do it with Natasha.”

“Coulson won’t approve.”

“If Coulson was really _that_ adamant about it, he should’ve given clearer instructions.”

Sharon sighs. “_Steve_—”

“Sharon, there’s no other way,” Steve insists. “You know that. And we can’t waste time, either. We’ve been waiting fourteen years for this.”

There’s silence on the other line before Sharon lets out another discontented sigh. “_Alright_. I’ll see what Sam, Bucky, and I can do. We’ll get back to you.”

“Thank you,” Steve says, appreciatively, before hanging up.

“You’re gonna seduce Natasha Romanoff?” Loki looks both surprised and impressed. “You think that’s a good idea?”

“How could it not be?” Steve responds. “Besides, you said we have to find a less suspicious way to get into the companies. Since she’s barely connected to them, this wouldn’t raise a lot of suspicion.”

Loki shrugs, but he still doesn’t look like he quite approves.

Wanda opens her mouth to say something but pauses when she sees Maria Hill walking towards them. 

“You two must be the late entries on our guest list,” Maria says, with her hands folded in front of her. She has a smile on her face that is definitely forced.

“I’m Steve Rogers and this is Wanda Maximoff. We’re both investors for Carter Barnes Holdings,” Steve introduces himself. “And I’m sure you already know Loki Laufeyson from Asgard Incorporated.”

A waiter walks by them with a tray of glasses filled with wine. Loki, Wanda, and Steve each grab one. They _definitely_ need a drink.

“Maria Hill,” she says, looking a bit more impressed at the mention of Carter Barnes Holdings. “CFO of Romanoff Global. On behalf of Romanoff Global and Barton Enterprises, we’re very glad that you’re here at our fundraising gala.”

“We’re happy to be here, as well,” Wanda says, bubbly, “We’re very passionate about improving conditions in underserved communities and we really admire the work that’s being done by your people.”

Maria’s smile widens and it looks almost genuine. “Thank you for your commitment to our philanthropic goals. Do you two live in the city?”

Steve nods. “We both live in Brooklyn, but we’re both looking to purchase a new home in the Hamptons.”

Maria raises a brow. “Are you two together?”

Wanda almost laughs. “Oh, _no_, no. We’re just friends. We’ve known each other for a long time. We work together.”

“_Ah_,” Maria says with a nod. “_Well_, welcome to the Hamptons. I hope you guys both find a home you love. There are many beautiful estates on the beach.” She squints past them and then points to Clint’s fiancee. “When the party dies down a bit, you two should definitely speak to Bobbi Morse. She oversees the realty division of Barton Enterprises. I’m sure she’ll know of plenty of places nearby that you two should look at.”

Wanda and Steve nod appreciatively and Maria excuses herself to speak to James Rhodes.

“Well, at least someone within the ranks of the companies knows who the two of you are,” Loki says. “That’s definitely good. Maria Hill may not be Ivan or Edith, but she’s definitely up there with Clint.”

He pauses. “But Steve… _really?_ Natasha? You’re gonna make her the mark?”

“Do you not approve?” Steve raises a brow.

“She’s definitely innocent,” Loki says. “She’s cleaner than Clint.”

“There aren’t really any other options,” Steve says. “You know that.”

Loki looked unfazed. “She’s not an evil person, Steve.”

“I’m sure she’s not,” Steve says, “but we’re not trying to hurt her directly. We’re just getting revenge against her family. The family that she really isn’t that close to.”

He’s well aware that it’s highly unlikely Natasha knows anything about what her family did to his and Wanda’s. He understands that. He doesn’t hold any personal grudges against her because of that, but she’s still the only person who can get him to where he wants to be.

He won’t give up. He’s been dealing with his mother’s murder for fourteen years. It’s been eating at him for so long and he’s not going to back down from a chance of getting justice for them.

Loki sighs. “Just be careful, then. I don’t want you two to do anything that’ll blow up in your faces.”

“As _if_,” Wanda says, “We know better.”

“You better.” Loki opens his mouth to continue but pauses. “Natasha!”

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” Natasha says as she reaches out to shake Loki’s hand. She's even more radiant up close. 

Wanda slightly tenses as the close proximity of the Romanoff heiress. Steve catches a whiff of her floral-scented perfume.

“You’re not,” Loki assures her. “It’s good to see you, Natasha. Welcome back to New York. How was Moscow?”

“_Definitely_ interesting,” Natasha responds, “but it was great to be back home, even if it was for a short time.”

“_Oh_, I bet.”

Steve clears his throat. “I’m Steve Rogers.” He holds his hand out.

Natasha turns to him, looking him up and down. “Natasha Romanoff.” She shakes his hand, but it’s brief and limp as if she doesn’t want to.

“Wanda Maximoff,” Wanda says with a nod.

“A pleasure.” She's definitely a Romanoff because she excels at sounding fake. 

Steve’s about to say something but is interrupted by Nick Fury speaking loudly into a microphone, which Steve personally thinks he doesn’t need, to announce that dinner is about to be served and that everyone should begin taking their seats.

Natasha’s already wandering away from them before Fury finishes speaking. Steve’s a bit annoyed that his introduction has been cut short, but at the same time, he’s glad he has some time to gather his thoughts.

The plan that he and his partners have been putting together had already failed before it began, so definitely needs to rethink his strategy. He’s been brainstorming all these ideas for years so he had thought that everything would fall into place, but the reality of being surrounded by all these people that he plans on getting revenge on is too much to handle at once. 

At least he’s being served delicious food here. He eats his ribeye steak without a complaint and engages in small talk with the people at his table. 

“How can you stomach that much food?” Wanda looks at him with a look of disbelief mixed with awe.

“I’m a growing man.” Steve shrugs, as he digs into dessert.

Wanda looks him up and down. “I don’t think you need to do any more growing, to be honest.”

Steve shrugs. “I gotta get bigger than Bucky.”

Wanda snorts in amusement, poking at her slice of chocolate cake. “Good luck with that.”

When the charity auction begins, they stay silent and simply observe the plethora of wealthy people bidding tens of thousands of dollars on things that Steve would never purchase himself. 

They try not to express too much shock at how the people are just throwing their money around. They want to look like they fit right in with these people.

“That painting is hideous,” Wanda says, wrinkling her nose. “I certainly wouldn’t drop $50,000 on it.”

“You two don’t spend a lot of time around here, do you?” Natasha asks from behind them.

They turn to see Natasha standing, sipping on a glass of vodka while keeping her gaze fixated on the auction.

“We’re from Brooklyn,” Steve replies. “That’s where our home is.”

It’s not really a lie. Steve’s spent most of his life in Brooklyn, but he has spent a lot of time in the Hamptons when he was younger. His trips there stopped after Sarah Rogers and Pietro Maximoff were murdered. He had no interest in returning to the beaches where he found his mother's dead body.

“Cool place.” Natasha sounds amused, but the expression on her face is still stoic.

“Do you spend much time in the city?” Wanda asks.

Natasha shakes her head. “So, you guys know Loki? How so?”

“We’re close friends with and we occasionally work directly with Sharon Carter and Bucky Barnes. They know Loki well from business matters,” Steve answers, truthfully.

“Interesting,” Natasha says. She’s still not looking at either one of them.

Steve rubs his lips. “How about you? How do you know Loki?”

“Childhood friend,” she replies, “I haven’t seen him in a while, though, because of my traveling. Haven’t been to the Hamptons in years.” She shrugs.

“What brings you back here? I heard you’ve been living it up in Russia.” Steve is trying to make sure the conversation doesn’t die out.

“I was,” Natasha says, watching as her father presents then next item being auctioned. “I enjoyed it there. I feel very at home there, but I was away from my family and I couldn’t stand that for too long.”

Steve isn’t sure if Natasha always has a dull tone in her voice, but her response sounds kind of rehearsed to him. Her facial features don’t betray her, though, unfortunately.

He’s about to ask her a question about her family’s businesses when Natasha beats him to ask, “_So_, what have you heard about me?”

Wanda freezes mid-bite of her cake. Steve clears his throat. “Excuse me?”

“You know Sharon and Bucky and Loki,” Natasha says as she finally turns to look at them, “and I’m guessing we have some other mutual acquaintances as well. I’m curious. What have you heard about me? I haven’t been here to keep up with the gossip.”

Wanda turns to Steve, cocking her head as she waits for him to say something.

Steve blinks, unsure of how to respond. “_Uh_… well, nothing quite stands out. Just the typical stuff about you traveling around instead of being like your step-brother.”

Natasha chuckles. “Boring.”

Steve shrugs. “_Hmm_… well, I suppose I think I did hear something about you being a Russian assassin.”

Natasha smirks. “Now, _that’s_ more fun.”

“Is it the truth?” Steve asks, teasingly. He smiles genuinely at her.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Natasha takes a sip of her vodka. She looks over and meets Clint's glance. 

Steve notices that Clint looks unimpressed at her. The smirk disappears from Natasha's face.

"Excuse me," Natasha says, making her way over to him. 

Steve and Wanda watch as she grabs Clint's wrist and drags him out of the room. 

"Is this really what we're going to do?" Wanda asks him, setting down her fork. "We're really going to go after Natasha?"

Steve hesitates but, then, nods. "It's the only way."

Wanda crosses her arms. "It better work."

Steve looks at her. "It _will_."

Nothing will stop him from avenging the wrongful deaths of his mother and his adoptive brother. He's going to bring down the corrupt Romanoff-Barton family. He'll make sure of it.

* * *

The next morning, Steve's picking at his breakfast as Sharon gives him a rundown at what she's pieced together since their phone call. They're all sitting in Bucky's office in the tall skyscraper that houses Carter Barnes Holdings. 

"It's nothing that interesting," Sharon says.

Steve shrugs. "_Spill_." He wants to know everything that he can gather before he begins to pursue Natasha. The last thing he needs is another unknown detail derailing his plans completely.

"Honestly, the only thing is that she dated Matt Murdock while she was at Princeton."

"_Murdock?_ As in... District Attorney Wolfgang von Strucker's stepson?"

Sam and Wanda look up from the pile of manila folders their flipping through. Bucky Barnes suddenly looks more interested in the conversation. 

"That'd be the one," Sharon says with a nod. "Their relationship ended before she transferred to MIT, though."

Steve pauses to do the math in his head. "So... that means she was with Matt when von Strucker was prosecuting the Zola case."

Sharon crosses her arms. "Exactly, but that doesn't mean anything."

"What are you talking about? This could mean _everything_," Steve says, "Zola wrote that book about the collapse of SHIELD Consolidated which turned the public against Romanoff Global and Barton Enterprises. von Strucker did a number on the public perception to get them to welcome the Romanoff-Barton family back with open arms. He's the reason that the investigation into their companies closed."

"Just because Natasha dated von Strucker's stepson doesn't mean that she got a front-row seat to all the relevant information," Sharon insists. "_Besides_, she was in New Jersey when the case was going down."

"It's a possibility, though," Bucky speaks up. "We need to look into it."

"Even if Natasha doesn't know anything, we could find a way to get to Matt," Sam says. 

Sharon looks at them in disbelief. "_Oh my God_. Coulson never said we could do any of this."

"But like I said last night, he never said that we couldn't, either," Steve reminds her. "Besides, this isn't a stupid plan. Everything makes sense. We just have to go about it the right way."

"We should probably tell him though," Wanda says, "or else he's gonna be _really_ pissed at all of us."

Sharon scoffs. "I'm not making that phone call. He's trying to enjoy his vacation in Tahiti right now."

"Not it."

"Hell no."

"No, thank you."

Steve rolls his eyes. "_Fine_."

"Good luck with that," Sharon says, giving him a knowing look. "Don't ruin his vacation."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Steve stands up and fishes his phone out of his back pocket. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

When Coulson answers his call, he already sounds pissed. "Steve, it's 5 AM here. What the hell do you want?"

"We got into the Romanoff-Barton estate," Steve says with a smirk.

He hears Coulson stirring. The man suddenly sounds much more awake. "And how is it gonna go? Did you start making contact with the necessary people?"

"_Well_, there's actually been a bit of a change in the plans," Steve says.

Coulson's silent for a minute. In a more serious tone, he asks, "_Meaning?_"

"Clint Barton is actually engaged to Bobbi Morse, so we decided that the whole plan with Wanda wasn't gonna work. We decided to hold back on making contact with anyone until we had a secure plan in place."

Coulson groans. "_Dammit_. What's the new strategy?"

"_But_," Steve says, "it turns out that Natasha Romanoff has returned to New York. We decided that we're gonna keep the same plan, but instead, it'll be me and her. Not Wanda and Clint."

He isn't exactly sure how he expected Coulson to respond, but he frowns when Coulson snaps, "_No_."

Steve groans. "It's the best plan we have."

He's pretty sure Coulson is frowning right now. "You'll have to come up with a better one."

"_Coulson_."

"Don't involve her in any of this. She's not going to be the collateral damage."

Steve furrows his brows. "How come you're okay with Clint being our mark, then?"

"That's different," Coulson insists, sounding frustrated, "Clint can take a hit. Natasha shouldn't."

"What makes you think that? How well do you even know her?" Steve resists the urge to bang his head against the wall.

"I just _do_," Coulson replies.

Steve shakes his head. "That's not good enough. We've all been through _way_ too much. Romanoff Global and Barton Enterprises are the reasons that my life, Wanda's life, Bucky's life, and Sharon's life went to hell. We've recovered, but the mark is still there. My mother is dead, Coulson. And so is Pietro. Bucky's parents died in custody. Sharon's family and Sam never even knew his family. The Romanoff-Barton family destroyed SHIELD Consolidated for their own gain. We've suffered because of them since we were twelve years old and I refuse to wait any longer to get revenge."

"_No_, Steve," Coulson snaps from the other line, "I understand your frustration. I _do_. I want that family to rot as much as you do, but going after Natasha is not the way to do it. Don't you _dare_ disobey me. I'm gonna talk to Melinda and then I'll get back to you." He hangs up before Steve can respond.

Steve takes a deep breath. He wants to respect Coulson's wishes after everything he's done for him, but this has been eating at him for fourteen years. The chance is here for him to get his revenge. He doesn't want to wait. 

Sharon, Sam, Bucky, and Wanda have been waiting for fourteen years. He's been waiting for fourteen years. He's not going to let the chance disappear. He slips his phone back into his pocket and returns to Bucky's office.

"So?" Sam raises a brow.

"It doesn't matter what Coulson said," Steve says and from the corner of his eye, he sees Sharon take a deep breath. "We're going after Natasha. We're doing it."

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! it means so much to me that you would take the time out of your day to read this chapter. i'd love to hear your feedback in the comments! any kudos are appreciated.
> 
> i know you're probably a bit confused on what exactly is happening, but i promise in the next chapter, everything will be explained! you'll understand what romanoff global and barton enterprises did to steve, sharon, wanda, bucky, and sam. you'll understand why they want revenge. 
> 
> twitter: widowfantasies
> 
> xx


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